Should I treat the wood with a preservative like Thompson's, to help prevent from rotting?

Do you enjoy Thompson Water Seal in your food? If no, then the answer is no and also wonder what other chemicals those pallets have on them.

Agreed with BBT on the water seal. The chemicals in it can leach into your soil and then your food. Same thing with pressure treated lumber. There are like 437 known carcinogens in that stuff. Pallets are typically made from hardwoods, and are usually untreated, except for those blue CHEP pallets. You should be good to go on the pallets. Just know that any wood surface that comes in contact with soil and H2O is going to rot, and fast.

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Founding member, Team Not An OldTeam No Beans

Originally Posted By: grandpa75672

Really? I must really be stupid not to know that.Quit being a dumb asss. It's not really funny.

SO I got my compost tilled in yesterday . Do I go ahead and make rows now or wa it until it's closer to planting time? How much space do yall recommend between rows?

Do you have a list of what you're planting?

Something like Tomatoes will be determinate or indeterminate. In a nutshell meaning the determinate tomato bush will grow close to a specific size and be a "bushier" type plant. Indeterminate just keeps growing like a vine style. Some of the indeterminate ones can get crazy big. Each verity you see sold will tell you if they are determ or indeterm.

Then you have climbing plants like cucumbers, peas. You can go vertically and not worry as much about width space.

Squash is just bulky. Not sure what to call it. 3' spacing would be good.

Peppers grow like little trees. I could easily do 2' spacing rows and get a good crop.

Just a few examples. Not sure if there is a benefit of making rows now or later. I always did them when I planted. But with some spacing ideas you can go ahead and layout your garden and get a good idea of where you want to plant.

Also remember the sun and how it will rotate over your garden. You don't want to plant say indeterminate tomatoes where once they get big that they block the sun all day until later in the day, then shine on the shorter crops.

My first year I want to try the "easier" variety. I hope to put in tomatoes , cucumbers , okra , zucchini,squash , raddish. I think I have figured out from my reading , I should have been growing inside, under lights by now . I'm sure this year will be a disaster

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A-RIGS , MAKING BAD FISHERMAN LOOK GOOD SINCE 2010

My first year I want to try the "easier" variety. I hope to put in tomatoes , cucumbers , okra , zucchini,squash , raddish. I think I have figured out from my reading , I should have been growing inside, under lights by now . I'm sure this year will be a disaster

You'll be fine! By no means at all do you have to start by starting seeds indoors. Buying plants and even sowing seeds direct into the ground are great. Squash and Zucchini germinate and grow fast. I started squash and radishes directly in the soil outside last year and got a bumper crop.

Your problem will be when to pick them. It's amazing how fast the fruit of squash, cucumbers, etc.. grow. You've got to check it daily and pick it. Day or two will make all the difference between perfect and not as good. You'll see.

Trlrman, crapyetr, shecrappie, chickenman and others all have larger gardens and produce a ton. They will chime in with their methods and madness. Keep posting your questions and take it all in and use the approach you like best and that works for you.

If I had a garden like yours (I did once, and it was a pain to keep weeds out), I would invest in some weed barrier/ filter fabric quickly. Everywhere that you tilled and made nice pretty soil just woke up a bunch of dormant weed seeds. Get the weed barrier down in between the rows, otherwise you’re gonna be pulling and/ or spraying weeds in all of your free time. A company I used to work for had an agronomy department, and the VP of that department, Dr. Troutman, put it best... “Mother Nature doesn’t like bare spots, and she will fill them in”

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Founding member, Team Not An OldTeam No Beans

Originally Posted By: grandpa75672

Really? I must really be stupid not to know that.Quit being a dumb asss. It's not really funny.